86 research outputs found
Universally Coupled Massive Gravity, II: Densitized Tetrad and Cotetrad Theories
Einstein's equations in a tetrad formulation are derived from a linear theory
in flat spacetime with an asymmetric potential using free field gauge
invariance, local Lorentz invariance and universal coupling. The gravitational
potential can be either covariant or contravariant and of almost any density
weight. These results are adapted to produce universally coupled massive
variants of Einstein's equations, yielding two one-parameter families of
distinct theories with spin 2 and spin 0. The theories derived, upon fixing the
local Lorentz gauge freedom, are seen to be a subset of those found by
Ogievetsky and Polubarinov some time ago using a spin limitation principle. In
view of the stability question for massive gravities, the proven non-necessity
of positive energy for stability in applied mathematics in some contexts is
recalled. Massive tetrad gravities permit the mass of the spin 0 to be heavier
than that of the spin 2, as well as lighter than or equal to it, and so provide
phenomenological flexibility that might be of astrophysical or cosmological
use.Comment: 2 figures. Forthcoming in General Relativity and Gravitatio
Examining the Association between Intervention-Related Changes in Diet, Physical Activity, and Weight as Moderated by the Food and Physical Activity Environments among Rural, Southern Adults
Background Few studies have been conducted in rural areas assessing the influence of community-level environmental factors on residents’ success improving lifestyle behaviors. Objective Our aim was to examine whether 6-month changes in diet, physical activity, and weight were moderated by the food and physical activity environment in a rural adult population receiving an intervention designed to improve diet and physical activity. Design We examined associations between self-reported and objectively measured changes in diet, physical activity, and weight, and perceived and objectively measured food and physical activity environments. Participants were followed for 6 months. Participants/setting Participants were enrolled in the Heart Healthy Lenoir Project, a lifestyle intervention study conducted in Lenoir County, located in rural southeastern North Carolina. Sample sizes ranged from 132 to 249, depending on the availability of the data. Intervention Participants received four counseling sessions that focused on healthy eating (adapted Mediterranean diet pattern) and increasing physical activity. Potential moderating factors Density of and distance to food and physical activity venues, modified food environment index, Walk Score, crime, and perceived nutrition and physical activity neighborhood barriers were the potential mediating factors. Outcome measures Diet quality, physical activity, and weight loss were the outcomes measured. Statistical analyses Statistical analyses included correlation and linear regression and controlling for potential confounders (baseline values of the dependent variables, age, race, education, and sex). Results In adjusted analysis, there was an inverse association between weight change and the food environment, suggesting that participants who lived in a less-healthy food environment lost more weight during the 6-month intervention period (P=0.01). Also, there was a positive association between self-reported physical activity and distance to private gyms (P=0.04) and an inverse association between private gym density and pedometer-measured steps (P=0.03), indicating that those who lived farther from gyms and in areas with lower density of gyms had greater increases in physical activity and steps, respectively. Conclusions Contrary to our hypotheses, results indicated that those living in less-favorable food and physical activity environments had greater improvements in diet, physical activity, and weight, compared to those living in more favorable environments. Additional research should be undertaken to address these paradoxical findings and, if confirmed, to better understand them
A phase-field model of Hele-Shaw flows in the high viscosity contrast regime
A one-sided phase-field model is proposed to study the dynamics of unstable
interfaces of Hele-Shaw flows in the high viscosity contrast regime. The
corresponding macroscopic equations are obtained by means of an asymptotic
expansion from the phase-field model. Numerical integrations of the phase-field
model in a rectangular Hele-Shaw cell reproduce finger competition with the
final evolution to a steady state finger the width of which goes to one half of
the channel width as the velocity increases
Shrinking a large dataset to identify variables associated with increased risk of Plasmodium falciparum infection in Western Kenya
Large datasets are often not amenable to analysis using traditional single-step approaches. Here, our general objective was to apply imputation techniques, principal component analysis (PCA), elastic net and generalized linear models to a large dataset in a systematic approach to extract the most meaningful predictors for a health outcome. We extracted predictors for Plasmodium falciparum infection, from a large covariate dataset while facing limited numbers of observations, using data from the People, Animals, and their Zoonoses (PAZ) project to demonstrate these techniques: data collected from 415 homesteads in western Kenya, contained over 1500 variables that describe the health, environment, and social factors of the humans, livestock, and the homesteads in which they reside. The wide, sparse dataset was simplified to 42 predictors of P. falciparum malaria infection and wealth rankings were produced for all homesteads. The 42 predictors make biological sense and are supported by previous studies. This systematic data-mining approach we used would make many large datasets more manageable and informative for decision-making processes and health policy prioritization
Measurement of the Bottom-Strange Meson Mixing Phase in the Full CDF Data Set
We report a measurement of the bottom-strange meson mixing phase \beta_s
using the time evolution of B0_s -> J/\psi (->\mu+\mu-) \phi (-> K+ K-) decays
in which the quark-flavor content of the bottom-strange meson is identified at
production. This measurement uses the full data set of proton-antiproton
collisions at sqrt(s)= 1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector experiment
at the Fermilab Tevatron, corresponding to 9.6 fb-1 of integrated luminosity.
We report confidence regions in the two-dimensional space of \beta_s and the
B0_s decay-width difference \Delta\Gamma_s, and measure \beta_s in [-\pi/2,
-1.51] U [-0.06, 0.30] U [1.26, \pi/2] at the 68% confidence level, in
agreement with the standard model expectation. Assuming the standard model
value of \beta_s, we also determine \Delta\Gamma_s = 0.068 +- 0.026 (stat) +-
0.009 (syst) ps-1 and the mean B0_s lifetime, \tau_s = 1.528 +- 0.019 (stat) +-
0.009 (syst) ps, which are consistent and competitive with determinations by
other experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett 109, 171802 (2012
Saethre-Chotzen syndrome : cranofacial anomalies caused by genetic changes in the TWIST gene
In this thesis, one of the most frequently occurring and most variable craniosynostosis
syndromes was investigated; Saethre-Chotzen syndrome. Craniosynostosis is the premature
obliteration of cranial sutures in the developing embryo. It can also occur in the first few
months of life. Saethre-Chotzen syndrome is, besides craniosynostosis, characterized by
specific facial and limb abnormalities, of which the most frequently reported are ptosis,
prominent crus helicis, cutaneous syndactyly of digit 2 and 3 on both hands and feet, and
broad halluces. Saethre-Chotzen syndrome has been linked to the TWIST gene on
chromosome 7p21.1. Mutations in and variably sized deletions of this gene can be found in
patients with clinical features of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome. The latter, TWIST deletions,
often also include part of the surrounding chromosome 7p and are reported to be associated
with mental retardation. In Saethre-Chotzen patients, in whom neither a mutation nor a
deletion of TWIST had been found, the FGFR3 P250R mutation was in some cases detected.
This mutation has specifically been linked to Muenke syndrome that is characterized by unior
bicoronal synostosis and slight facial dysmorphology. However, a Saethre-Chotzen like
phenotype can also result from this mutation.
Because of the possible overlap of Saethre-Chotzen with Muenke syndrome, these syndromes
were studied in order to provide clinical criteria that discriminate between the two (chapter 4).
Many phenotypic features occur in both syndromes. In addition, although unicoronal
synostosis occurs slightly more frequently in Muenke syndrome, unicoronal and bicoronal
synostosis are seen in both syndromes. The discrimination between Saethre-Chotzen and
Muenke is often not made easily and the associated genes, TWIST and FGFR3, respectively,
are simultaneously tested for pathogenic m
State of the climate in 2013
In 2013, the vast majority of the monitored climate variables reported here maintained trends established in recent decades. ENSO was in a neutral state during the entire year, remaining mostly on the cool side of neutral with modest impacts on regional weather patterns around the world. This follows several years dominated by the effects of either La Niña or El Niño events. According to several independent analyses, 2013 was again among the 10 warmest years on record at the global scale, both at the Earths surface and through the troposphere. Some regions in the Southern Hemisphere had record or near-record high temperatures for the year. Australia observed its hottest year on record, while Argentina and New Zealand reported their second and third hottest years, respectively. In Antarctica, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station reported its highest annual temperature since records began in 1957. At the opposite pole, the Arctic observed its seventh warmest year since records began in the early 20th century. At 20-m depth, record high temperatures were measured at some permafrost stations on the North Slope of Alaska and in the Brooks Range. In the Northern Hemisphere extratropics, anomalous meridional atmospheric circulation occurred throughout much of the year, leading to marked regional extremes of both temperature and precipitation. Cold temperature anomalies during winter across Eurasia were followed by warm spring temperature anomalies, which were linked to a new record low Eurasian snow cover extent in May. Minimum sea ice extent in the Arctic was the sixth lowest since satellite observations began in 1979. Including 2013, all seven lowest extents on record have occurred in the past seven years. Antarctica, on the other hand, had above-average sea ice extent throughout 2013, with 116 days of new daily high extent records, including a new daily maximum sea ice area of 19.57 million km2 reached on 1 October. ENSO-neutral conditions in the eastern central Pacific Ocean and a negative Pacific decadal oscillation pattern in the North Pacific had the largest impacts on the global sea surface temperature in 2013. The North Pacific reached a historic high temperature in 2013 and on balance the globally-averaged sea surface temperature was among the 10 highest on record. Overall, the salt content in nearsurface ocean waters increased while in intermediate waters it decreased. Global mean sea level continued to rise during 2013, on pace with a trend of 3.2 mm yr-1 over the past two decades. A portion of this trend (0.5 mm yr-1) has been attributed to natural variability associated with the Pacific decadal oscillation as well as to ongoing contributions from the melting of glaciers and ice sheets and ocean warming. Global tropical cyclone frequency during 2013 was slightly above average with a total of 94 storms, although the North Atlantic Basin had its quietest hurricane season since 1994. In the Western North Pacific Basin, Super Typhoon Haiyan, the deadliest tropical cyclone of 2013, had 1-minute sustained winds estimated to be 170 kt (87.5 m s-1) on 7 November, the highest wind speed ever assigned to a tropical cyclone. High storm surge was also associated with Haiyan as it made landfall over the central Philippines, an area where sea level is currently at historic highs, increasing by 200 mm since 1970. In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide all continued to increase in 2013. As in previous years, each of these major greenhouse gases once again reached historic high concentrations. In the Arctic, carbon dioxide and methane increased at the same rate as the global increase. These increases are likely due to export from lower latitudes rather than a consequence of increases in Arctic sources, such as thawing permafrost. At Mauna Loa, Hawaii, for the first time since measurements began in 1958, the daily average mixing ratio of carbon dioxide exceeded 400 ppm on 9 May. The state of these variables, along with dozens of others, and the 2013 climate conditions of regions around the world are discussed in further detail in this 24th edition of the State of the Climate series. © 2014, American Meteorological Society. All rights reserved
Measurement of the Bs Lifetime in Fully and Partially Reconstructed Bs -> Ds- (phi pi-)X Decays in pbar-p Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV
We present a measurement of the Bs lifetime in fully and partially
reconstructed Bs -> Ds(phi pi)X decays in 1.3 fb-1 of pbar-p collisions at
sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV collected by the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron.
We measure tau(Bs) = 1.518 +/- 0.041 (stat.) +/- 0.027 (syst.) ps. The ratio of
this result and the world average B0 lifetime yields tau(Bs)/tau(B0) = 0.99
+/-0.03, which is in agreement with recent theoretical predictions.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
W boson polarization measurement in the ttbar dilepton channel using the CDF II Detector
We present a measurement of boson polarization in top-quark decays in
events with decays to dilepton final states using of integrated luminosity in collisions collected by the
CDF II detector at the Tevatron. A simultaneous measurement of the fractions of
longitudinal () and right-handed () bosons yields the results
and . Combining this measurement
with our previous result based on single lepton final states, we obtain and . The results are consistent with standard
model expectation.Comment: Published in Phys. Lett.
Observation of the structure in the Mass Spectrum in cays
The observation of the structure in decays produced in collisions at \sqrt{s}=1.96~\TeV is
reported with a statistical significance greater than 5 standard deviations. A
fit to the mass spectrum is performed assuming the presence of a
Breit-Wigner resonance. The fit yields a signal of resonance
events, and resonance mass and width of
4143.4^{+2.9}_{-3.0}(\mathrm{stat})\pm0.6(\mathrm{syst})~\MeVcc and
15.3^{+10.4}_{-6.1}(\mathrm{stat})\pm2.5(\mathrm{syst})~\MeVcc respectively.
The parameters of this resonance-like structure are consistent with values
reported from an earlier CDF analysis.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, submited to Phys. Rev. Let
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